July 2009 
Meier Clinics E-News
 
"One of the most trusted names in Christian Counseling"            1-888-7CLINIC
 
Angie Witman
 
REFLECTIONS

 
By Bev Henry, LCSW

     Springtime in the Rockies is a pretty "iffy" season.  It can be warm and beautiful, but it can often be snowy and cold.  This last spring was the snowy and cold variety with April providing much needed moisture after a dry, dry winter.  As snow melted, we watched our brown, parched earth come to life with green grass, hardy perennials that survived the winter, and delicate wild flowers adding color in unexpected places.  God's beauty was evident everywhere.
     I was reminded of something I'd read in a Max Lucado book:  "A little rain can straighten a flower stem.  A little love can change a life."  We've all seen a little rain straighten a flower stem.  Have we also seen a little love change a life?  Thankfully, many of us have. 
     When I read that quote from Mocha with Max, I thought of Psalm 1 and the man (or woman) "whose delight is in the law of the Lord...  who is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither."  That person who delights in God's word is strengthened (straightened like a flower stem, if you will) and bears fruit.  That fruit often is the "little love than can change a life."
     Don't we all want to be a part of that process?  We can be.  The key is delighting in God's Word, spending time there, being filled, nourished, strengthened, "straightened" so we overflow with a "little love" for those people God brings into our lives.  Who knows?  That love may just "change a life."   
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Bev HenryBev Henry is a retired school social worker and therapist.  She currently works part-time in the counseling department at Focus on the Family.  For more about FOTF, visit www.family.org.
 
FINISHING WELL

 
By Norm Hostetler, L.C.P.C.
 
     First, let us agree that finishing well is not a theory, a platitude, a pleasant saying, or a clich�; it is reality, and it is important.  We may think that finishing well occurs at the end of our lives.  But it is not limited to that; we can finish well, or badly, at the end of a day, a week, a month, or a year. 
     Next, I would like to tell a bit of my story.  I have been thinking and pondering this topic for a couple of years.  I have pages of journal writing on the subject.  This has been an interesting and intellectual process.  But when I agreed to write this article, the process changed.  Suddenly, I was plagued with doubt. "I cannot write about finishing well because my life will not finish well.  I will make a mess of it."  Darkness entered my soul.  Maybe you have had a similar experience.  You have begun a new spiritual discipline, have decided to follow Christ more closely, and the Enemy has attacked you head on.  He is out to destroy us and whenever we start something that rattles his cage, He comes after us.  That has been my experience in trying to work through what it means to finish well.  Finally, I reached a good conclusion, which I will share at the end of this article.
     For the rest of this article, I want to answer two questions: what hinders us from finishing well, and what helps us to finish well.  First, what hinders us?  You might agree that misuse of anger will hinder us, but wonder why.  Anger comes from a demanding spirit that will not accept life as it is.  Here is Paul Tournier in Learn to Grow Old, "The most difficult and unhappiest old people are those who cannot accept the world and life as they are, with sickness, old age, and death; those who cannot learn abandonment, who cannot bear to be contradicted, who are nothing but complaints and criticisms, who cannot accept themselves with their limitations, their infirmity, and their dependence."  Then he says that we must be able to accept the unfulfilled; this is our human condition.  Not being able to accept unfulfillment turns us into perfectionists who do not finish well.  Another way to say this is that there are obstacles to overcome to finish well.  We do not finish well automatically, or slide into it. We must overcome obstacles.
     Second, what helps us to finish well?  Here is what I have learned from studying the life of Job.  He certainly started out well.  He was said to be blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.  Everything in his life was going well. But he was severely tested, and he began to complain. It's interesting to watch his actions and his speech to see how he reacts to this sudden reversal when nothing is going well. What does it take for a man to finish well, a man who has lost his wealth, his occupation, his family, his home, his reputation, and his health? 
     Job continues to complain bitterly, saying that he loathes his life, and asks God to leave him alone.  I guess that finishing well does not rule out complaining about difficult circumstances.  He has even lost his friends.  He has no hope at the end of the day.  However Eliphaz has a good word about Job in 4:3; "You have instructed many and you have strengthened the weak hands."  Again, we wonder, what does Job have in him that will enable him to finish well in spite of all his pain?  The fact that Job is willing to enter into dialog with his friends shows something of his spirit.  It's his character that enables him to continue trusting and hoping.  He is not pretending nor entering into denial.  In a way, he is wrestling with God. 
     What further clues can we get as to why or how he can finish well?  One clue is found in his statement, "though He slay me, I will hope in him."  Another clue is found in chapter 19 where he says that he knows that his Redeemer lives and that he will see Him himself in his own flesh.  This is trust in God even when there is no earthly reason to do so.  A third clue is found in his statement that when God has tried him, he will come out as gold.  As we come closer to the end of the story, we hear Job expressing great passion for justice and equity.  This may be another part of finishing well.  As God speaks to Job, he is faced with a moment of truth.  He does not run from it.  He recognizes who God is, and who he is.  He acknowledges his own sinfulness, he bows the knee, and repents in dust and ashes.  He has finished well. 
     Here is the point.  By overcoming obstacles, Job became a person full of faith, hope, and love.  This, I discovered, is what helps us to finish well.  Now what will you do with the information I have shared with you?  Here are two suggestions: become a person full of faith, hope, and love so you will finish well, and help others to do the same.
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Norm Hostetler is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Norm Hostetlerand began his counseling career at the Meier Clinics of Illinois in 1987.  He currently sees clients at the Wheaton and Geneva outpatient clinics in addition to assisting in the adult Day Program.  Norm draws from his previous experiences in education, administration, and business in helping clients work through financial and career concerns in addition to other issues such as depression, anxiety, and healing relationships.
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"Forgetting the past and looking forward to
what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end
of the race and receive the heavenly prize
for which God, through Christ Jesus,
is calling us."
 
2 Timothy 13b-14 
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TIMBERLINE KNOLLS

     Timberline Knolls provides customized residential treatment and educational services for women, ages 12 and older, who are committed to overcoming eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, self-harming behaviors, dual diagnoses, anxiety and depressive disorders.  Through an innovative partnership with Meier Clinic, Christian counseling services are available to those who request it.  Timberline Knolls is a provider in managed care organization networks and has a financial advocate to assist in payment coordination.
     The mission at Timberline Knolls is to provide state-of-the-art care for the development of emotionally strong, personally responsible and resilient women.
     The Timberline Knolls program is comprehensive with indoor and outdoor activities including music, art and dance therapies; cognitive-behavioral therapy; motivational interviewing; family systems therapy; 12-step systems; sports; equine therapy; and gardening.  They are located in a southwest suburb of Chicago on a heavily wooded, historic 43-acre lot nestled between reflecting ponds, tall pines, and beautiful limestone formations.
     For more information or to schedule an admission, call 877-257-9611.  You may also visit their website at www.timberlineknolls.com.
Timberline Knolls
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THE PRICE OF FREEDOM 
   
US FlagAs we prepare to celebrate the birth of our country this 4th of July, I can't help but reflect back on the price of freedom.  Many sacrificed their homelands, social status, relationships, possessions, and even their lives to create a country that is often referred to as "the land of the free."  Our country isn't perfect, but most of us enjoy advantages that the majority of the world's people will never know.  The life we enjoy today and the freedom we have came, and still comes, at a price. 
    
Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for our spiritual freedom.  This sinless man showered the Cross & Bibleworld with love and compassion but was persecuted, mocked, and crucified.  He paid the ultimate price so that all who believe in him could have spiritual freedom.  Even though we know our eternal destination is secure, we must walk through this earthly life first.  This life is often full of temptation, trial, pain, and despair, but God's Word provides us with encouragement and instruction for life.  One scripture verse that sums up God's instruction in a nutshell is 1 John 2:6, "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." 
    
Many around the country may have political and spiritual freedom but are still weighed down with chains of emotional bondage.  Helping them break loose and find freedom requires time, dedication, and finances.  While those of us who work at Meier Clinics would love to help everyone who comes to us for Christian counseling care, we simply don't have the funds needed.  But, partnering together, we can change lives.  What are you willing to sacrifice in order that others can enjoy emotional freedom?  Every donation is greatly appreciated.
 
Mail:     Meier Clinics Foundation, 2100 Manchester Road, Suite 1510, Wheaton, IL 60187-4561
Web:     http://www.meierclinics.org/Donations
Phone:  800-848-8872 
 
(Meier Clinics Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible within IRS regulations.)
 
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